Tokyo, March 16 (Jiji Press)–Radiation levels about 6,600 times normal were detected on Tuesday at a place 20 kilometers away from a nuclear power plant at the center of Japan’s nuclear crisis, the science ministry said Wednesday.

Radiation levels reached 195 to 330 microsieverts per hour in the Fukushima Prefecture town of Namie in radiation monitoring activities for about 10 minutes from 8:40 p.m. Tuesday (11:40 a.m. GMT), the ministry said.

The town is about 20 kilometers away from the earthquake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant of Tokyo Electric Power Co. <9501>, the ministry said.

On Tuesday, the government advised residents within 30 kilometers from the nuclear plant to stay indoors.

The ministry reported the results of its radiation monitoring activities to the government’s disaster management task force.